Year on year increase in number of ghost estates across Ireland

Ireland is now home to 2,881 ghost estates according to a new report to be published next month.

A housing policy conference in Dublin has been told of the increase in semi or unoccupied housing developments as the property market struggles.

Colm Ó Ruanaidh, a senior adviser on social housing at the Department of the Environment, told the conference that the count for this year was not yet complete but already there’s an increase from 2,846 last year to 2,881.

A departmental spokesman told the Irish Times that Ó Ruanaidh was working from ‘raw data’ which would be finalized and published next month.

“The additional 35 developments constitute an increase in the number of dwellings in ghost estates from 179,230 last year to 179,900,” said Ó Ruanaidh.

The conference heard that some 230 unfinished developments have met the criteria to benefit from a $7 million fund to address immediate safety concerns on ghost estates.